Lovers of the macabre and black humor will find plenty to enjoy today with these movies that combine the world of vampires with comedy.
Don’t let appearances fool you because vampires and laughter, though it may seem an odd combination, actually work perfectly.
With impeccable direction and screenplay, you can demythologize vampires from their role as scary, bloodthirsty creatures by making them the protagonists of absurd and comical situations.
It may seem impossible, yet you may even end up sympathizing with these supernatural creatures always associated with evil and destruction.
Just be careful, though, because after watching these movies, you may even enjoy the company of vampires more than humans, starting a new nightlife of blood toasts and lots of laughter.
Table of contents
The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)
We begin with a classic from the 1960s, probably unknown to new generations of vampire story lovers.
We are talking about one of Roman Polanski‘s early movies, in which the director himself plays the young and cowardly Alfred.
Together with his boss, Professor Abronsius, a vampire hunter and expert on the myth of these supernatural creatures, they travel to Transylvania to complete their research.
At the inn where they stop, they immediately notice crosses and garlic wreaths hanging on the walls, and on the same night, a creature kidnaps young Sarah, the beautiful daughter of the inn’s owners.
Upon seeing the townspeople’s fear, they thus head for the nearby castle where lives the cruel Count Von Krolock, an elderly vampire who is trying to rebuild his now nearly extinct lineage.
Before dawn rises, the professor and assistant must try to stop the count’s adepts and save Sarah from the blood sacrifice in which their party must culminate.
Roman Polanski enjoys playing with all the stereotypes of the vampire horror genre. Still, unlike the usual infallible heroes like Van Helsing, we have the great comedian Jack MacGowran as Professor Abronsius.
With his hilarious performance, the actor carries all the other cast members, among whom we cannot fail to mention the beauty and bursting sexuality of the two inn girls, Sharon Tate and Jessie Robins.
As for the villain, he is played perfectly by Ferdy Mayne, who gives the character a comic yet frightening performance as a cartoon caricature of the famous Dracula.
Suppose you have never had the pleasure of watching this tasty vampire comedy, in that case, there is always time and opportunity to make up for it because, fortunately, just like vampires themselves, these movies are immortal and will continue to captivate future generations forever.
Innocent Blood (1992)
From one master of cinema to another, we turn to a beautiful vampire under the direction of John Landis, who previously demonstrated his ability to combine horror and comedy in his cult An American Werewolf in London.
The story revolves around the gorgeous bloodsucker Marie, played by Luc Besson‘s unforgettable Nikita, Anne Parillaud.
While she has no problem when she must feed, this vampire has a particular moral code: she kills only the worst criminals in town. In short, she is a bit like a night vigilante but with sharp teeth and a delicate palate.
Everything seems to be going well until one night; her path crosses that of the boss with the sneering, ferocious face of Robert Loggia.
But this time, something goes wrong, and she fails to kill the fearsome mobster, who becomes a vampire and then decides to transform his crew.
From that moment on, this gang of criminal vampires will hunt down the poor girl, who fortunately finds the help of a young policeman who once infiltrated the same group.
John Landis, master of irony, knows how to spice up the plot as Italians know how to spice up food with brilliance and a sprinkling of joy.
For example, it is hilarious to watch these Italian-American mobsters having to reluctantly give up the precious garlic in their beloved pasta, a deadly ingredient, once they become vampires.
Anne Parillaud, enchanting and charming, bewitches the audience with her sweetness and sensuality, even with her face completely smeared with blood.
Even better is Robert Loggia as a delusional criminal in his delirious ramblings of omnipotence, pushed to the extreme by vampirism.
Like the best recipes, this comedy has everything you need to satiate your cinematic hunger, from bloody vampires to romantic love and classic 90s horror.
Vampire In Brooklyn (1995)
Let us veer toward a horror director who sadly passed away in 2015, Wes Craven, whose name is automatically associated with iconic characters such as the legendary Freddy Krueger from the Nightmare saga.
While old Freddy did not fail to provide laughs during his truculent carnage in his victims’ nightmares, he unquestionably remains an unstoppable scary and creepy monster.
Craven tries a change of scenery by wrecking vampire Eddie Murphy in New York in search of the woman who carries the legacy of an ancient family with which to revive his reign of terror.
Unfortunately for him, this woman is a Homicide Detective investigating the carnage of men in the harbor during his arrival.
Despite being an honest cop, she cannot help but feel an irresistible attraction to the vampire because of the power that lies dormant in her family bloodline.
However, a young colleague of hers will help keep on the right side as the vampire makes his way among New York’s criminals through a funny servant he has turned into a zombie.
Paradoxically, the funniest aspect of this movie is how seriously Eddie Murphy plays this arrogant vampire while a light horror-comedy atmosphere revolves around him.
I never understood why both audiences and critics so brutally slaughtered Vampire In Brooklyn.
The director develops the plot on the moral ambiguity of policewoman Angela Bassett, who fights the evil within her without ever fully succeeding.
Even better is the somewhat dim-witted zombie played by the funny Kadeem Hardison, who eventually becomes a supernatural villain even cooler than Eddie Murphy.
So, as vampires always do, get close to this movie, take a bite, and see if you like its distinctive flavor.
What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
With the next story, we definitely change the mood, moving on to a little vampire community living in a small house in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.
Shot in the form of a fake documentary, the great comedians Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi show us the everyday life of these immortal bloodsuckers.
Amid small and big arguments over who should do the dishes or clean the house, these longtime friends prepare for the approach of a big event: the Unholy Masquerade.
Indeed, vampires and assorted monsters from all corners of the world gather for this great festival in New Zealand every year.
Their lives are destined for significant change when their oldest dies in a stupid accident.
At the same time, they welcome into their ranks a young boy they have just turned into a vampire, almost by accident, after trying to kill him to drink his blood.
However, the new coexistence will not be easy, as the days until the Unholy Masquerade are getting shorter, and their old hostilities and rivalries resurface from the past.
The characters’ simplicity and naturalness make this vampire comedy so irresistible, so much so that a successful series with the same movie title followed.
With their eccentricities, these immortal bloodsuckers raise a smile and, at the same time, make us reflect on the human condition, showing that, after all, we all share the same needs, despite the length of our canines.
Moreover, What We Do in the Shadows also marks the beginning of a career in Hollywood for the multifaceted Taika Waititi.
A talent that may be wasted in the noisy spectacularity of Marvel movies, while such a director should be let freer to express his skills as an honest and spontaneous comedian.
Red Snow (2021)
The latest movie we discuss in this article is a small but brilliant American production.
With a delightful comedy flair, its plot teases some famous vampire movies, such as the Twilight saga and Interview with the Vampire.
Everything begins around the isolated house in the snow of an aspiring writer with little professional or personal success, having almost zero contact with her mother and sister for years.
One day, a bat flies into her home from an open window, and she, too disgusted to kill it, locks it in a box.
Much to her surprise, she discovers the box in pieces on her return because the bat has turned into a man, thus realizing that she is dealing with a handsome young vampire.
At that very moment, an elderly gentleman who is an experienced vampire hunter drops by to visit her, asking questions about her new guest.
She offers him hospitality, as the vampire is weak and needs to regain his strength; in return, he gives valuable advice on how to write an actual horror novel.
Around the house, besides the relentless old hunter, lurk the vampire boy’s merciless and immortal friends, ready to kill anyone.
To the untrained eye, Red Snow may be of little value, considering the less-than-stunning TV sitcom staging.
However, this movie, written and directed by Sean Nichols Lynch, is far more intelligent and evil than it might appear initially.
Especially the leading lady Dennice Cisneros is a revelation for horror comedy, going from shy, lonely little girl to vampire slayer and successful writer in just over an hour.
Never more than, in this case, then, does the old saying about not judging a book by its cover apply.